


Here to Mars

by Miss_Murdered



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Light Angst, M/M, Sappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-14
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-20 20:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4800407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Murdered/pseuds/Miss_Murdered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accident aboard <i> the Orca </i> space shuttle makes Sousuke realise how much he loves Makoto…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here to Mars

**Author's Note:**

> *did some brief research on medical things and space travel but as mainly sappy fic used some artistic license*  
> For Sousuke's birthday!

_~ It's in the stars_  
_And you're my everything from here to Mars_  
_And every word I say I truly mean_  
_Dear darling, I hope I'm being clear_  
_Cause there's no one like you on Earth_  
_That can be my universe_

_Here to Mars – Coheed and Cambria ~_

* * *

 

“… I’m sorry, Lieutenant Yamazaki… I came to get you as soon as I could…”

Sousuke only grunted in response, unable to formulate words as he stormed through the grey metallic corridors to get to the medical bay as soon as he possibly could. He didn’t want to shout at Nitori – he was a good kid and it wasn’t his fault – but still Sousuke thought it was best to just keep his mouth closed rather than say anything he would regret.

Of course, it had taken time to get the message to him. Comms were problematic and intermittent and so no one had been able to message him as they usually would and reach him through his comm device attached to his arm. Instead, it had required for someone to literally come and find him and that had meant running half the length of the _Orca_ and that was not easily done.

 _The Orca_ was the largest people carrying space shuttle ever developed and it had been designed and built by an international team of specialists and funded by big businesses and countries alike. It was home to many, Sousuke included, as it travelled to the newly colonised Mars and was a hulking mass of metal and wires. One of the problems of such a large machine was that it often went wrong and the comms were regularly going out. And often comms were not seen as a priority when they were months into travel, in the middle of space and messages could be relayed the old-fashioned way – face to face. There were other more important things – like life support systems remaining optimal and trajectory continuing at its current rate.

It still was irritating as Sousuke sped up his pace, Nitori almost jogging beside him as they passed colleagues in the corridors, curious glances given in their direction. Sousuke didn’t care how he looked. He didn’t care that his face was set in a grim determined line or that his hands were by his side in fists or that he probably looked dishevelled and sweaty having just come from the gym. All he cared about was getting to that medical bay as quickly as he could.

He hadn’t asked how it had happened when Nitori had arrived. Sousuke had been lifting weights, spotted by Sei when Nitori had bounded into the room and almost skidded across the floor. Sousuke had laughed at first, amused by the lack of co-ordination the kid seemed to have but that was until they locked eyes and Nitori walked across the room, his head bowed and his eyes showing fear.

When he’d arrived at Sousuke, he’d almost stuttered over his words.

“Lieutenant Yamazaki… you’re needed in the medical bay… it’s-”

There was nothing else that was needed to be said. Sousuke had grabbed his jacket and nodded to Sei in goodbye and then began his trek to the other side of the _Orca,_ Nitori in tow.

He didn’t need to know what had happened right now, all Sousuke needed to do was get there and he did so at the fastest speed he could. Once, in the first few weeks of his time aboard the _Orca,_ Sousuke had got lost searching for the medical bay but this time he did no such thing, instead, he only arrived to it quickly and slammed his fist against the door panel to make it slide to let them through.

Nitori seemed to mutter something under his breath about the amount of force used to open the door but Sousuke ignored it as he entered into the bright white and sterile room. It had been a long time since Sousuke had had to visit the medical bay so it took him a moment to get his bearings as he looked around the small partition cubicles where current patients were being treated. He scanned those bays quickly, trying to see who any of the in-patients were but some of them were blocked off via curtains and Sousuke couldn’t see who he needed to see. He stepped forward and walked towards the small desk area and tried to smile at least somewhat politely at the nurse behind it. It was hard to be polite when his stomach was rolling and his heart was beating way too damn fast but Sousuke tried. He had to at least _try._

“Tachibana… I need to see Tachibana.”

His voice sounded gruff and Sousuke turned away to cough so it didn’t sound as harsh. Nitori had joined him at his side and his presence felt oddly reassuring. Maybe it was because they had been recruits together, maybe because they had bunked together on those early training camps back home but there was something that made Sousuke feel better to have a friend with him. It was probably why Nitori had been sent for him in the first place. As Nitori was a friend to both of them and a trainee engineer.

“Are you next of kin?” the nurse asked and Sousuke almost lost it then. His anger roiled and he contained it, just, as it would not help matters.

“I’m his partner… Yamazaki.”

The nurse obviously sensed some hostility and she quickly typed something into the tablet in front of her. A moment later she looked up and smiled at Sousuke.

“You can see him. He’s unconscious but you can see him… Dr. Matsuoka will be doing his rounds soon so you can talk to him soon.”

Sousuke breathed out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He thought he was going to have to fight his way to Makoto and he had been prepared to scream and shout to get what he wanted. He usually was a quiet man, a man of action rather than words but when it came to Makoto… well, his usual personality went out of the window. As rationality soon was outweighed by emotion.

The nurse walked from behind her desk and she quietly commanded them to follow her. Sousuke did so and Nitori followed a pace behind. He didn’t say anything but Sousuke found himself appreciating Nitori’s presence and he appreciated it even more when they reached the final bay in the row of beds. As in that final bed was Makoto.

Unlike some of the other beds, the curtains were not drawn but then there was nothing to see. All that Sousuke could see was that Makoto was unconscious, that he was laid in the crisp white sheets and his eyes were closed and a mask covered his mouth and nose. His vitals were being monitored and Sousuke could see each “bip” of his heartbeat on the machine and as he let his eyes drift down he could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest. The nurse briefly touched Sousuke’s shoulder, the lightest of touches and she smiled.

“He’s doing well… the doctor will be here soon.”

It was mean to be reassuring but Sousuke didn’t feel reassured as he stepped closer to Makoto, looking down at the man he loved. True, Makoto didn’t look bad. He looked pale and he looked clammy but he didn’t look sick. It wasn’t until Sousuke let his eyes linger on the mask and the machines did it hit him how bad things were. And that made his eyes sting.

“Do you know… what happened?” Sousuke asked softly, his voice rough.

Nitori stepped closer and Sousuke glanced at the younger guy briefly. He could see Nitori felt nervous, anxious even and Sousuke did understand why. As they had trained together, Nitori had seen those brief occasions where Sousuke had lost his temper. But Sousuke wasn’t going to lose his temper today – it wasn’t Nitori’s fault. He would discover later whose fault it was but right now all Sousuke cared about was Makoto.

“I know he was fixing some of the comms units… you know how the comms room is kept at a cold temperature and it’s not got the life support the rest of the ship has…” Nitori stuttered then, his voice faltering. Sousuke looked towards his friend and gave the briefest of nods. Nitori swallowed and continued. “There was something wrong… the comms room was meant to be at the correct temperature and had the full life support systems running… Makoto was in there when…”

“I get it, Ai,” Sousuke said and he could hear his own voice waver.

As Sousuke did get it. The comms had been inconsistent and the nearer they were getting to Mars, the more important it was that it was fixed. Makoto was the best engineer _the Orca_ had. Sousuke knew that – he’d known that as they studied together on earth and Sousuke remembered admiring him for afar, watching how Makoto pushed his glasses up on his nose as he spent hours reading and researching everything he could about the designs for _the Orca_ and the potential problems they may face.

Makoto would always be the one to fix anything – always be the one to spend hours with the uncooperative machines so of course it was Makoto who was fixing the comms. And it was Makoto who was in the comms room when something did go wrong.

“It took a while to get him out when the doors closed on him,” Nitori whispered as he continued his story, “the computers went into automatic security mode to stop the potential breach and it took a while to get the override on… when we did…”  

Sousuke only grunted softly to indicate he understood. That Makoto had been unconscious when they had gotten the doors open. Sousuke squeezed his eyes shut tight then as he didn’t want to think about what Makoto had gone through. He wondered what it had felt like to be locked out from the safe part of the ship, to be engulfed in cold and darkness and for the oxygen suddenly to become thin. The thought of Makoto like that was horrible and Sousuke tried to banish the thought. As they had managed to get Makoto out… That was all that mattered.

His hand reached out and Sousuke touched Makoto’s skin. He expected him to feel cold… expected Makoto to feel different but he felt the same as he always did and Sousuke bit back his emotions. A part of him wanted to be angry but the other part of him just felt anxious. And exhausted. Sousuke couldn’t believe it had only been scant minutes ago that Nitori ran to find him and bring him here. It had seemed he had lived a lifetime.

Sousuke knew there was nothing he could do, knew all he had to do was wait for the doctor so he thanked Nitori and let the younger engineer go back to work. Nitori offered a reassuring smile and a cock of head before he went.

“It’s Makoto… he’ll be fine.”

Nodding, Sousuke wanted to agree but he couldn’t help the feeling in his gut and he ran his fingers through his hair before he took a seat beside Makoto. It was bad to be alone, Sousuke knew, as all he did was run through every horrible circumstance in his head. Like anyone who had come to live aboard _the Orca,_ Sousuke’s worst fear was the potential of dying alone in the void of space and Makoto had been given a brief glimpse into that and Sousuke hated that. He hated thinking of how close he had come to losing Makoto and Sousuke folded his hands in his lap as he looked at Makoto’s broad chest, at his closed eyes, at the soft curl of his hair.

Sousuke hadn’t meant to fall in love with Makoto. Indeed, he’d left earth and joined the mission to Mars to get away from life. He’d wanted to escape responsibility and expectation, he’d wanted to be free and determine his own future alone. He didn’t want someone. Yet here he was sat beside Makoto with his heart beating out of his chest.  

He knew he wasn’t the best person for Makoto. As Sousuke was grumpy and dedicated and determined and he had a very important job aboard _the Orca._ It meant he often neglected their relationship, often didn’t tell Makoto things as he had so many other things on his mind and Sousuke regretted all of that as he sat beside the bed.

“You’re going to be better, Yamazaki,” he whispered, a command to himself.

He would be, Sousuke was determined to be. He would be the man that Makoto deserved. He’d spend less time training, he’d spend less time working overtime and he’d spend more time sneaking into Makoto’s bunk and surprising him. He’d wake Makoto up by raining kisses on his jaw and on his cheek. He’d steal Makoto’s favourite sweets from the rations. He’d do the things that proved how much he loved him.

“He’s doing well, Sousuke.”

Sousuke heard the voice and it took a moment to re-orientate him as he looked up to see the doctor in the white coat poised looking over Makoto.

Rin – no, Dr. Matsuoka stood there and Sousuke got to his feet and offered his hand to an old friend. They had trained too at the same place, gone through the same selection process and it was comforting to see those bright eyes and flash of sharp smile. Rin was the best the ship had.

“We just need to monitor him and help his breathing. He’s unconscious as he was deprived of oxygen for a short time… but not for too long for there to be too much damage. Or so we hope.”

“When will he wake up?” Sousuke asked, his eyes looking down to the floor.

“That’s up to Makoto…”

Unable to say anything else to his friend, Sousuke returned to his seat as Rin checked Makoto’s charts and read outs from the monitors before he left with a nod and a wave in Sousuke’s direction.

It hurt, it hurt like nothing ever had and Sousuke wished nothing more than it was him in the hospital bed. He hated sitting beside Makoto not doing anything but there was nowhere else he wanted to be. He had to stay, had to be there when Makoto woke and so Sousuke sat on the seat beside the bed and watched.

Time dragged on and Sousuke stayed. He watched for any flicker but soon found his own eyes growing heavy and found himself napping in the uncomfortable chair. He dreamt, odd dreams of choking and drowning, water covering him and he jerked awake when a voice filtered through his restless sleep.

It was Makoto’s voice. He was sure he was dreaming, sure that he was imagining it and that it was impossible. Sousuke wasn’t a lucky guy. He’d wanted to go to Mars and applied for a place on _the Orca_ as he’d lost his dreams, as he’d given up on his life on earth and so he was sure it was just his stupid brain screwing him over.

But as he jerked, banged his shoulder hard on the metallic arms of the chair, Sousuke looked over to the bed in the darkened room. And he saw those eyes, saw the mask hanging around a neck and he saw lips open in a confused expression and he heard a shaky voice.

“Sou…suke?”

There was so much Sousuke wanted to say – he wanted to say how the last few hours he had gone through hell. Tell Makoto how much he meant to him. Tell Makoto how it had all happened. But all Sousuke could do was whisper that name and put his arms around Makoto’s torso, dragging him close and allowing Sousuke to breathe in his skin and kiss at his neck and pulse.

“Don’t leave me… again…” Sousuke whispered.

He wanted to say how Makoto was his everything… how he was his universe but all he did was hold him until the nurses and doctors disrupted the moment. And as Sousuke watched Makoto’s confusion and the doctor’s checks, he knew he had to tell him and Sousuke would. As there was no one else for him and Sousuke would make sure Makoto knew that.


End file.
